NAVER Launches Shopping Connect: New Affiliate Solution Expands Creator Economy

Seoul, South Korea—Naver Corporation announced Thursday the upcoming launch of "Shopping Connect," a new affiliate solution that will be added to its creator partnership platform "Brand Connect."

The service is scheduled for official release in July 2025, following a beta testing period.

Naver is recruiting creators to participate in the beta service through March 26.

The company reports that Brand Connect currently serves 12,000 creators across Naver's platforms, Instagram, and YouTube, alongside 2,400 campaign companies.

The Shopping Connect solution establishes an affiliate model where SmartStore merchants can register products they wish to promote on the platform.

Creators then select items of interest, create content featuring these products on their channels, and earn a share of revenue from resulting sales.

According to Naver, approximately 20,000 campaigns were conducted through Brand Connect last year, with successful campaigns reaching a total value of KRW 11 billion, representing a 160% increase compared to 2023.

Unlike standard affiliate programs, Naver's model allows merchants to independently determine key parameters, including which products to include in partnerships and what percentage of sales to share with creators.

This merchant-centric approach differentiates Shopping Connect from competitor offerings that typically set uniform terms.

The platform provides analytics tools that allow both parties to track performance metrics.

Merchants can monitor sales volume and revenue by product and creator, while content producers can analyze click-through and conversion rate metrics to optimize their campaigns.

Naver expects continued growth potential for its affiliate platform given the diverse creator groups active across its ecosystem, including those in user-generated content, shopping, short-form video, and commerce.